With a 4-2 victory over Croatia, Les Bleus lifted the trophy for the second time in their history

MOSCOW—No team came into this World Cup with more simmering brilliance in its squad than France. With goalscoring talent up and down the lineup, it was an arsenal just waiting to be trained onto the rest of the soccer-playing planet. Les Bleus brought so much talent, in fact, that even when they reached the final of this tournament, they were still criticized for not living up to their potential.

Because all along their road to Moscow, they dispensed their genius so sparingly that it was only ever the minimum amount required...